Artemis
Artemis 'is the Greek virgin goddess of the hunt, the Moon, chastity, animals, and the wilderness. She and her twin brother Apollo are known as the "''Twin Archers." Artemis' handmaidens are known as theHunters of Artemis, a group of young women that have turned their back from the company of men and have pledged themselves to the goddess. HerRoman counterpart is '''Diana. History Birth While Leto was pregnant with Zeus' children, an infuriated Hera cursed the Titaness to wander the earth without finding a place to gave birth. Fortunately, the floating island of Delos gave sanctuary to Leto and on the seventh day of the seventh month, she gave birth to her first child: Artemis. Almost immediately, Artemis grew to the size of a six-year-old girl and helped deliver her twin brotherApollo. Following this, Artemis asked Hestia to take her to Mount Olympus so she can meet with her father, Zeus. He lovingly embraced her with open arms and swore on the River Styx to grant her anything as a birthday present. Artemis requested to be an eternal maiden, a bow and arrows, a band of followers, and hunting dogs. She became goddess of the Hunt and wilderness, as well as patron of pregnant women and the young. TheElder Cyclopes forged Artemis' silver bow and arrows, while Pan provided her with hunting dogs. Her followers consisted of about eighty maiden girls who varied from mortals or nymphs, twenty of whom hunted with the goddess personally. Capture of the Golden Deer Needing wild animals to pull her chariot, Artemis and her Hunters decided to capture a herd of five golden deer. The nymph Britomartis was the Hunters' most skilled trapper, and she used her abilities to set snares and concealed nets. The Hunters made noise to scare off the regular deer, while four of the five golden ones charged straight into the traps and were harnessed for Artemis' chariot. The fifth and smartest of the golden deer escaped, later becoming known as the Ceryneian Hind. She was given Artemis' blessing and protection from other hunters. First Giant War During the First Giant War, Artemis was notable for defeating Otis and Ephialtes, the Alodai twins. The giantsplanned on attacking Olympus by stacking mountains on top of each other, with Ephialtes seizing Hera as his wife, and Otis having Artemis. Having gotten word of this, Artemis charged down the mountain and struck the Alodai twins with arrows. They tried impaling her with their spears, but Artemis was too fast for either of them. She tricked Otis and Ephialtes into killing each other by running between them, and dodging at the last moment just as they stabbed at her, causing the twins to kill each other instead. Kalydonian Boar Hunt When King Oineus of Kalydon forgot to honor Artemis at harvest time, the enraged goddess summoned a monstrous boar which she unleashed upon the fields of Kalydon, killing many animals and people in the process. Oineus consulted his son Meleager, who suggested launching a great hunt to appease Artemis. All the best hunters in Greece were summoned to participate in the Kalydonian Boar Hunt, though Artemis didn't make it easy on them. Mopsos, the strongest spear-thrower in Greece, tried killing the monster by launching his spear at it, but Artemis made it bounce harmlessly off the boar. Another hunter named Ankaios charged at it with a double-bladed ax, but died when the boar rammed his tusk straight into Ankaios' crotch. It was Prince Meleager who finally managed to kill the monster (with help from his friends), but it wasn't enough to please Artemis. She made the other hunters envious, and a full-scale civil war erupted when fighting broke out over who really deserved credit for killing the Kalydonian Boar. Punishing Actaeon One night, a hunter by the name of Actaeon stumbled upon Artemis and the Hunters bathing. At the sight of the naked goddess, Actaeon immediately fell in love with Artemis and revealed his presence to her. He declared his desire to marry her, though this incited Artemis' rage when Actaeon said "he must have her". As punishment, Artemis transformed Actaeon into a deer and had him killed by his own hunting dogs when she stirred them from sleep. Sipriotes Sipriotes was another unfortunate boy who spotted Artemis bathing. Unlike Actaeon, however, Sipriotes fell to his knees and begged Artemis for mercy. However, having gazed upon her naked form, Artemis would've killed Sipriotes, but as protector of young children, she decided to give him the option of becoming female to live. Left with no other choice, Sipriotes was changed into a girl by Artemis and joined the Hunters. Seduction of Kallisto Artemis' favorite follower was Kallisto, a beautiful girl who caught Zeus' attention. He appeared to her in Artemis' form and tried seducing her, but when Kallisto rejected his advances, Zeus revealed his true self and had his way with her. One day after a long hunt, Artemis and the Hunters decides to go swimming. When Kallisto was reluctant to join them, Artemis discovered the pregnancy and demanded to know who took her maidenhood. When Kallisto told her it was Zeus disguised as Artemis herself, the goddess was unable to do much because of her father's power. Declaring that she would've allowed Kallisto to go peacefully and settle into a new life, Artemis transformed the sobbing girl into a bear, and told her to leave or face death. Kallisto eventually gave birth to a human son by the name of Arkas, and was later killed by hunters. Upon death, Zeus honored her in the stars by making her the constellation Ursa Major. Orion Following the incident with Kallisto, Artemis befriended the giant Orion, former royal hunter of the king of Chios. He settled on Delos after he had his sight restored by Hephaestus with mechanical eyes, where Artemis allowed him to join her Hunters as the first ever male due to his impressive hunting abilities. However, Orion got carried away with hunting so much that he began killing harmless animals. Either the giant snapped or Apollo drove him crazy for being close to his sister, but Orion declared that "he will kill all the animals in the world". This didn't sit well with the Hunters' way of life, nor with the earth goddess Gaea. His claims stirred her from slumber and she sent a massive scorpion that killed Orion with its poisonous stinger. Artemis found his body shortly after. Saddened by the death of yet another friend, Artemis made Orion into a constellation with a scorpion to immortalize his story. Hippolytos Hippolytos was a charming and handsome prince who had no interest in romance whatsoever. His passion for hunting made Artemis accept him into the Hunt, though her followers were rather hesitant at the thought of having an attractive male amongst their ranks. Hippolytos, however, never tried anything romantic with the Hunters, enraging the love goddess Aphrodite. When Hippolytos returned home to visit his father King Theseus, the two got into an argument about Hippolytos marrying and having children, despite the latter insisting to remain with Artemis. Unbeknownst to father and son, Aphrodite was manipulating their emotions into rage, resulting in Theseus drawing a sword and striking Hippolytos dead. Upon hearing of her friend's death, Artemis rushed to Hippolytos' tomb and carried his deceased body toAsklepios, her nephew and the best physician in all of Greece. She requested Asklepios revive him from the dead, but it immediately had repercussions. Aphrodite complained to Zeus about Hippolytos' revival, as did Hades when it could possibly cause chaos in both the mortal world and the Underworld. Fortunately, Artemis protected Hippolytos and had him sent off to Italy where he lived to an old age as a priest to one of her sacred shrines. = . Personality Artemis possesses a deep caring for maidens, especially for maidens whom she presides over. She does not discriminate when selecting girls to join her ranks; Artemis allows mortals, demigods, and even nymphs to become Hunters. This is best seen with Zoë Nightshade, a daughter of the Titan Atlas whom Artemis chose as her lieutenant. Unlike her twin, she is less "easy-going" and more focused with a much greater understanding of mortals than most of the other Olympians. Although she is reasonable, Artemis holds a general dislike of men although she does acknowledge and respect those who prove themselves to her, such as Orion, Hippolytus, and Percy Jackson. Artemis is shown to be an independent goddess who prefers the company of her hunters to even that of other gods. She loves hunting and is associated with the moon, which Apollo mentioned happened during the Roman era when the former goddess of the moon faded. Artemis is among the more sympatheticOlympians and weighs individuals by their actions and choices as opposed to their potential. However, there is a darker side to Artemis, as shown in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, when she transforms Actaeon into a stag after he saw her naked. Though many women in that situation would have assumed Actaeon planned to rape her and she defended herself accordingly. Furthermore, Artemis banished Callisto from among her Huntresses and transformed her into a bear, after the latter was seduced and impregnated by Zeus (the transformation was largely because Callisto did not come forward and tell Artemis about the seduction and pregnancy). Appearance Percy describes Artemis as an extremely beautiful goddess, lovelier than all her attendants, being tall and well-built, with shoulder-length raven-black hair and striking silver-grey eyes that could easily intimidate when she was angry. The other novels also depict her as a beauty, though there are some inconsistencies The differences in Artemis' physical description throughout the novels could be attributed to the fact that, as a goddess, she has the ability to assume any shape she desired, though it must be noted that she retains her incredible beauty and grace no matter what physical manifestation she adopts. Diana Artemis can change her aspect into her Roman counterpart of Diana. As Diana, she becomes more disciplined, militaristic, and warlike, as most Roman gods tend to be. The Greeks envisioned Artemis as an independent and vigorous goddess of the wilderness and hunt while the Romans depicted Diana additionally as the goddess of the moon Abilities As a daughter of Zeus, Artemis is an extremely powerful goddess. * Prowess in Battle: Artemis is shown to be very formidable in battle, due to her amazing agility and expertise with fighting with a bow and arrow, as well as her long hunting knives. Artemis is shown to be able to hold her own against very strong opponents, even the Titan General Atlas (though he did have the upper hand through the majority of their duel). Due to her skill in battle, she was trusted byZeus to kill any powerful monsters Kronos would try to recruit in The Titan's Curse. * Archery: As the goddess of archery, Artemis is a very powerful archer. She also excels in other target-shooting-based activities, such as basketball. Her arrows strike anyone, no matter how far they are. Her skills are only rivaled by her brother Apollo, and the giant Orion. * Enhanced Hunting: As the goddess of the hunt, Artemis has the same advanced hunting powers herHunters have, but extremely increased. ** She has the ability to control animals associated with hunting, such as wolves and hawks. ** She has enhanced speed, aim, and precision, since she was able to split the Manticore's spikes in-midair. ** She has a dynamic camouflage ability. ** She can replenish the animals she kills. ** She can transform ordinary things into things associated with hunting. In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, she transforms Actaeon into a stag. ** She can help heroes more directly since wild animals and monsters are in her domain. * Photokinesis: As the goddess of the moon, she has absolute control over moonlight. ** She can shoot shafts of moonlight. ** She can see clearly in the dark. * Wilderness: As the goddess of the wilderness, she has absolute control over the plants and animals in her domain. ** She can turn into any animal. ** As the goddess of animals, she has divine authority over them. ** She can communicate with animals. ** Animal Empathy ** Zoolingualism ** Zoopathy ** Wildlife Control ** Animal Whispering ** Animal mind-control ** Give animals the unusual ability of human speech ** Heal injured animals ** Create sentient animals from inanimate objects * Chlorokinesis: As the goddess of the wilderness, she has absolute control over the plants in her domain Artemis has unlimited control and power over any forest and its surroundings controlling every aspect from its trees to the wind and its bugs and so on. * Creating Constellations: Artemis can transform people into constellations once they have passed, such as Zoë Nightshade and Orion. Items She has silver bow and arrows, a pair of hunting knives and a silver chariot which she rides in pulled by four golden deer with silver horns. This later gave mortals the idea of Santa Claus. Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon Artemis has two sides of her, the fierce and lively goddess of the Hunt and the mysterious and serene goddess of the Moon. In her two sides, she is mostly seen as the Goddess of Hunt, where she wears a short tunic with her hair into a ponytail, holding a bow and quiver and mostly with her golden stag. When she is the Goddess of the Moon, she wears a long gossamer dress and has her hair held up. Relationships Percy Jackson:a man whom Artemis respects. Percy seems to be one of the few male heroes that Artemis approves. She seems to know of his deeds before The Hero's Of Olympus, which results in her not turning him into a jackalope when they first meet. Artemis also views him as mildly amusing and tolerates his ignorance in some cases. Artemis' respect for Percy grew when he saved her from the weight of the sky to allow her to fight Atlas. This also played into part when Artemis voted heavily to reward the heroes when the other gods voted for their deaths. In The Lost Hero, is said that Artemis secretly sent her Hunters on a mission to find him and bring him back toOlympus. Leto Artemis, along with her twin brother, Apollo, showed a great love for their mother, Leto. An example of this is shown when Queen Niobe insulted Leto, and Artemis and Apollo sought revenge. They killed Niobe's seven daughters and seven sons. It is said that Artemis spared the youngest daughter of Niobe. It is also said that the gods took pity on Niobe and turned her into stone. Apollo Artemis is mostly seen as to be annoyed and distant from Apollo, maybe because of her strict attitude towards men and him for being so carefree. Though in most parts they are shown to be arguing, Artemis and Apollo show a strong bond between siblings, as depicted in The Titan's Curse when Apollo breaks the law in helping Percy to save Artemis. Zoë Nightshade Zoë Nightshade was the former Lieutenant of the Hunters. Zoë was fiercely loyal to Artemis ever since she became a Huntress. Despite knowing that she would be the one to "die by a parent's hand", she went on the quest because she desperately wanted to save Artemis. When Zoë died, Artemis turned her into a constellation-"the Huntress"- depicting a girl with a bow running across the night sky. Artemis was so upset by Zoë's death that she flickered with silver light. Orion Orion was one of the rare males to gain Artemis' favor and the only man to ever gain her affection. He was the sole exception to the goddess' exclusively female group of hunters. When he died, Artemis made him into a constellation to show her love and respect for him. The Hunters The Hunters are Artemis' handmaidens, young maidens who are given the gift of immortality, or rather technically the gift of eternal youth, the skill of archery, superhuman strength, speed and dexterity. The Hunters had a choice whether to be this way or remain normal. A hunter must not fall in love or rather more specifically, lose her maidenhood, for she loses her immortality as a result dies, or she will die in battle. They are the closest thing to children Artemis has. While the Hunters cannot die of natural causes, they can be killed, albeit more difficult to do so. Notable Hunters * Zoë Nightshade (deceased) * Thalia Grace * Bianca di Angelo (deceased) * Phoebe (deceased) Being a Virgin Goddess : Main article: Virgin goddesses Artemis is one of the virgin goddesses on Mount Olympus besides Athena and Hestia. Hestia, Athena, and Artemis made an oath on the River Styx to Zeus saying that they would not marry and would stay virgins for eternity. Artemis is one of the goddesses that make up the triple goddess symbol: * The Maiden- waxing moon- Artemis, represents the huntress on earth * The Mother- full moon- Selene, represents the moon in the heavens * The Crone- waning moon- Hecate, represents the Underworld Artemis' Chariot : Main article: Artemis' Chariot Artemis' chariot can fly. Artemis' chariot is made out of silver and pulled by four golden horned deer. The bridles of her chariot are made out of silver as well. Her chariot gave mortals the idea of Santa Claus. Trivia * Originally Artemis was the Goddess of Dawn and Frost. Although after a while her dominion over both went to Eos as she was the dawn personified. * In myth, the sole reason Artemis was sometimes considered a goddess of the moon because others perceived her to be either Selene or Hecate. * In The Titan's Curse, it is said she likes to turn boys who see the Hunters' camp into jackalopes. * In The Titan's Curse, she had found a respect for Percy and even called him a 'man' instead of a 'boy' after she and Annabeth were rescued. This respect went so far as to have the Hunters search for Percy. * Artemis, being the goddess of Hunt, has a collection of furs belonging to many creatures, some maybe extinct since Percy didn't know some of them that were hanging in Artemis' tent. * She has temples or shrines in Olympus as seen in The Last Olympian when Thalia stated this after seeing Kronos destroy a shrine to Artemis. * A minor planet, (105) Artemis, a lunar crater, the Artemis Chasma and the Artemis Corona (both on Venus) have all been named after her. * 78 Diana, an asteroid, is named after her Roman counterpart. * Diana, a crater on moon, is named after her Roman counterpart. * Artemis is the only goddess that is described as having auburn hair. * Artemis has placed two people in the stars: Orion and Zoë. Though one source says Zeus put Orion in the stars, as one of Artemis' requests. * Artemis is one of only three current Olympians who is a virgin. * Though she is said to be the protector of young women, she is said to have been appeased of crimes by the sacrifice of young women, such as Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia. ** However, some versions say Artemis took Iphidenia from the pyre seconds before it was lit (without Agamemnon or his men being aware). Artemis could have only pretended to want young women sacrificed while secretly rescuing them (not just from the pyres but from whatever society they lived in). * Artemis loved Orion even though she's a virgin goddess.